2023 F1 Brazilian GP FP1: Full Results and Key Takeaways

The only hour of practice for the teams in the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP is done and dusted, and we had an all-Ferrari front row when the chequered flag fell. Now, before the Italian fans get excited, let's pump the brakes a little as the laps were done on soft tires in the dying stages of the session.

George Russell finished P3 for Mercedes with a time done on medium tires while Nico Hulkenberg from Haas came in at P4.

The timesheets may not be the best judge if we have to reach an understanding of the pecking order. Since there was only one hour of running available it does appear that the teams went for their specific strategic plans more than anything else.

Having said that, these runnings do leave us with some key takeaways. What are they? Let's take a look.

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2023 F1 Brazilian GP FP1: What did we learn?

#1 Red Bull should be on pole but it's not a done deal

Red Bull did not do a run on soft tires which makes it hard to make a true judgment of where the car would find itself. The start of the session, though, was competitive with Max Verstappen and even Sergio Perez.

Having said that, the other teams do not look too far off. The qualifying session later in the day could be tricky but if one has to pick a team to be on the front foot, it would be Red Bull.

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#2 Ferrari is a contender for the front row once again

Ferrari more or less kept its keys close to its chest and the reason for that seems to be the team's tendency to run more conservative power unit modes. The car should blitz the first and third sectors as both are more or less just straights.

Tire wear is a concern on this track and hence, it's hard to expect a strong result for Ferrari in the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP. Qualifying, however, could be a different kettle of fish and the team will be hoping to secure the best possible result.

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#3 Haas could pull off a point or two with Nico Hulkenberg

Race pace is not a strength for Haas and that's been well-documented this season.

Having said that, Nico Hulkenberg has been brilliant at the F1 Brazilian GP over the years. He secured a pole position at this track in 2010 in a Williams and almost won this race in 2012.

Hulkenberg might struggle in the race because the car just does not respond. However, the sprint could prove to be his friend, especially with rain forecast at various points in the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP.

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#4 Signs of life at Aston Martin?

Aston Martin's pace in the hands of Fernando Alonso was impressive. His lap times on hard tires were quite impressive even in comparison to Max Verstappen.

However, arguably the crowning jewel was the laptime from Lance Stroll.

Even though it might not seem like much, Stroll did a laptime that was only three-tenths slower than George Russell on the same tires. If we factor in the kind of performance increment Alonso brings to the table, the team might have a car that could be competitive and capable of fighting for podiums.

It would be foolish to jump the gun just yet, but this is impressive from Aston Martin.

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#5 Weather could throw a curveball into the entire day of running

The 2023 F1 Brazilian GP is expected to be interrupted by rain sporadically throughout the weekend. There was even a warning issued earlier in the day regarding the same.

Rain could surely throw a curveball into the proceedings in the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP as we saw last season as well. Haas was on pole position last time around and it will be interesting to see what happens this time if rain makes an appearance again.